ILSI-Biomed Israel

Stem Cells as Seek-and-Destory Missiles against Cancer

As published in New Scientist, stem cells were succesfully modified to act as seek-and-destroy missiles against cancer in mice brains Stem cells are often viewed as the ultimate solution for regenerative medicine, and for a good cause. Given the correct cues, they can regenerate whole parts of the body, and even re-create an entire embryo (although that would require QUITE some understanding of the cues involved in the process). It seems, however, that now a new use has been found for the...

A Novel Israeli Kit for Regaining Feeling in the Palms

Sheba Hospital will expose a Israeli kit for sensory training, that improves the brain activity for patients who suffer from a decrease in feeling in the palms The Department for Multiple Sclerosis in Sheba Hopsital will present for the first time a novel kit for sensory training, that improves patients' brain activity. The kit will be presented in the BioMed Israel Week 2010, which will be held on July 14th-16th in Tel Aviv. The kit is based on cylinders that come in varied textures, an...

Researchers from RAMBAM Hospital Fight Parkinson’s Disease with Imagination

A new research from RAMBAM hospital shows that Guided Affective Imagery (דמיון מודרך) can make the tremors of Parkinson's disease go away. The relationship between the mind and the body has never been fully determined. Worse, the field is wide open for charlatans, holistic healers, homeopaths, naturopaths and what-have-you. However, from time to time we get some ‘real’ peer-reviewed scientific papers that offer new insights on the mind-body link. Such a paper was recently published in the...

Avraham Pharmaceuticals: $9 M Funding for a Multy-functional Alzheimer drug

Avraham Pharmaceuticals Ltd. has raised $9 million from Yissum Research Development Company (the technology transfer arm of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Pontifax, Clal Biotechnology Industries (CBI), Professor Marta Weinstock-Rosin and others.   Yissum has announced that, together with the Technion Research and Development Foundation (TRDF), the technology transfer arm of the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, it will exclusively license to Avraham the commercial rights of La...

Innovative Uses for Old Devices: EEG to Decipher Artwork’s Value

Acclair is a company and an ongoing research project utilizing an EEG device to figure out artwork's value and users' safety clearance. If there's one thing I hate it is being locked down to a single path, and being unable to switch lanes. Some of the most successful companies in the market made use of everyday technology to innovate: Facebook, Google and of course Apple. In the field of bio-med, however, I sometimes feel we're being somewhat narrow minded when it comes to the incredible devi...

Innovative Uses for Old Devices: EEG to Decipher Artwork's Value

Acclair is a company and an ongoing research project utilizing an EEG device to figure out artwork's value and users' safety clearance. If there's one thing I hate it is being locked down to a single path, and being unable to switch lanes. Some of the most successful companies in the market made use of everyday technology to innovate: Facebook, Google and of course Apple. In the field of bio-med, however, I sometimes feel we're being somewhat narrow minded when it comes to the incredible device...

Study Redefines Placebo Effect as Part of Effective Treatment

A new study redefines placebo effect as part of effective treatment in psoriasis, by treating patients with one quarter of their usual dose. The placebo effect is one of the most confounding aspects of every medical drug. When I’m taking this paracetamol – is it the drug doing the work, or is my brain fooling me? Both, most probably. But how much of each? And can we design drugs that will make smart use of the placebo effect? Well, such drugs exist already, as homeopathic remedies whic...

Neurologists Investigate a Possible New Underlying Cause of Multiple Sclerosis

A new study sets out to determine whether multiple sclerosis is actually the result of a narrowing of veins outside the skull Common knowledge holds that multiple sclerosis (MS) is the result of an abnormal immune response against the patient’s nervous system. However, common knowledge might go awry. As it turns out, MS is also strongly associated with a narrowing of the primary veins outside the skull, a condition called “chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency”. The narrowin...